Glaxo's Swine Flu Shot May Give Kids Fever

LONDON--The European Medicines Agency warns that young children
given GlaxoSmithKline’s swine flu shot may get a fever after
their second dose.

In a statement issued Friday, the European drug regulator said
data from GlaxoSmithKline PLC showed a higher number of children
aged six months to 3 years had a fever after their second dose of
the Pandemrix vaccine, compared with the first. Kids were also more
likely to have side effects like muscle pain, drowsiness, and
irritability.

The European regulator recommends children get two doses of
swine flu vaccine, though Glaxo says one dose is enough.

Glaxo’s vaccine contains an adjuvant, a chemical compound
to boost the immune response. It is sold across Europe and
Canada.

Another formulation of Glaxo’s vaccine, without the
adjuvant, is available in the U.S. Vaccines with adjuvants usually
cause more side effects. No flu vaccines with adjuvants are
licensed in the U.S.

Last month, Glaxo advised health authorities not to use one
batch of its Canadian-manufactured swine flu vaccine in case it
triggered life-threatening side effects like anaphylactic
shock.

In a press briefing on Thursday, the World Health
Organization’s flu chief Keiji Fukuda said that more than 150
million doses of swine flu vaccine have been distributed in more
than 40 countries and that they had not seen any evidence to
suggest the vaccines caused worrying side effects.